Getting Some Play: Head: The Future of “Prey 2”

Welcome to Getting Some Play — the spiritual successor to Sarah Warn’s excellent Good Game column — where we’ll take a look at the latest releases, news and developments in the world of video games.

Rumor has it

File this under “say it ain’t so!”: The fantastic-looking Prey 2 may never see the light of day. Publisher Besthesda is keeping mum on rampant cancellation rumors – a huge shame, since the open-world sci-fi shooter was the sleeper hit of E3 (and one of the most fresh and exciting upcoming AAA games of the year).

The company has not spoken publicly about the game in quite some time – going as far as to cancel recent public appearances – and amid rumors of a cancellation on Friday the company remains silent.

Early in the day, rumors began circulating that that the title is no longer being published, with one outlet claiming that Bethesda is readying an official statement as early as next week. This comes just weeks after a no-show at the Game Developers Conference, where Human Head was set to speak about the game’s development.

The kiss of death: the official “no comment” from the publisher. Ouch. Here’s hoping things turn out well for developer Human Head, and for the game itself.

Incoming:

We have several promising downloadable titles closing out the month of March, including indie puzzler Closure (PS3, March 27); and the intriguing and innovative adventure title A Valley Without Wind (PC and Mac, March 30). Stylish beat-em-up Skullgirls is ready to chew bubblegum and kick ass on the 360 on April 4, at least according to the Xbox Live marketplace listing, with a PS3 release on its way as well.

RPG fans will have a lot to love in early April, as the truly excellent Xenoblade Chronicles is set to finally get a U.S. release on the Wii on April 6. On the 10, The Witcher 2 arrives on the 360, allowing console fans to see what all the fuss is about.